Playschool

School of Hard Knocks

Some of Australia's top actors and entertainers have graduated from the toughest school in front of the toughest audience - and a few are keen to return.

Many of our young dramatic students apparently are chaffing at the bit, hoping to emulate their peers.

Like all schools, this one offers a lot of hard work but plenty of fun behind the cameras.

Unlike many schools, however, it engenders an incredible loyalty, respect and affection from everyone who has ever been there.

No, it's not NIDA or RADA. It's the ABC's Play School.

Over the past twenty years a chair and a bear have been used for props for people such as John Waters, Sarah Chadwick, Lorraine Bayly, Philip Quast, Monica Trapaga, Simon Burke, Anne Haddy, Tom Oliver, Trisha Goddard and Noni Hazelhurst who have played games and told stories to thousands of littles twice a day.

For Lorraine Bayly, Play School was fun. "It's such an old cliche about being one big happy family but Play School reall was like being with a big bunch of relatives. You met a different partner each week when you went to film the segment and I never met anyone I didn't want to work with."

Lorraine, like many others, also had valuable acting lessons at this school. "It was quite unlike anything I've worked on in television, stage or film. After you've been pretending to be an elephant or a frog in front of an entire camera crew, you definitely aren't going to have any inhibitions - which is really good for your other acting work. It helps you not to be afraid of taking chances, not to worry about doing silly things."

Not to mention playing to the toughest audience of all - kids. According to popular long-time regular Noni Hazelhurst, "Children are the best and most honest audience in the world. You can cheat, act and lie to adults but with children you have to be yourself. It's taught me more about performing than anything else. I also learnt to relax or, to use a hippie phrase, to go with the flow."

Inhibitions, ego, embarrassment..all have to be left at the studio door, along with just about everything learnt at drama school, as Sarah Chadwick recently discovered.

She described her two-episode stint as "fantastic, and incredibly difficult challenge - and fun". She also heaps praise on fellow presenter Philip Quast for encouraging her to "embarrass yourself, embarrass yourself - watch me!"

It is this lack of self-consciousness that helps make Play School, in the eyes of its loyalists, the best. As Noni says, "Children deserve the best and Play School is the best."

To be the best takes a lot of hard work and despite its relaxed look, Play School is very carefully structured. Original presenter Anne Haddy says it is "very carefully scripted and follows a formula, which means a lot of hard work."

Philip Quast adds, "There's still room to muck up a bit. You can have a lot of fun and, of coruse, the animals have been known to upset things."

Tom Oliver, whose 10-episode stint was full of terror - "having to remember ALL the lines of the nursery rhymes" - and animal-inspired incidents, readily agrees. An indiscreet wombat and owl left him floundering for wise words and a crew helpless with laughter. He also narrowly avoided giving himself a very nasty injury. "It was music day and Anne (Haddy) had to play a tissue and comb while I got to be the full orchestra, the piece de resistance of which was the two saucepan lids attached to my knees.

"I squatted down to bang them together to accompany Old MacDonald's Farm and just about castrated myself."

As long as Play School sticks to its tried and proved formula, the big names all want to keep going back for more fun and hard work.

Philip Quast: As long as they let me.
Noni Hazelhurst: As long as I enjoy it.
Trish Goddard: I can see me doing it forever.

So the next time you hear the song inviting children to 'come inside', don't be surprised to see some of our top actors pretending to be a frog, dressing up in silly outfits, or grappling with recalcitrant animals.